Heck, it's only fair - my view on immigration

I have a simplistic view on immigration: it is that everyone is welcome, if you follow U.S. laws and fill out the proper paperwork to be here. Fair's fair - if I decided to work or live in Mexico, I would make sure I was doing it legally. My simplistic view is also that they are illegals - if they are here illegally... you won't hear me saying "Undocumented Workers."

I read an article in the AJC a few weeks ago about illegal immigrants being afraid to drive because they might get stopped by police for breaking traffic laws. So because less were driving to the stores, Hispanic video rental stores and food stores in the Atlanta area have been suffering. (waaa...)

If you are afraid of breaking traffic laws - if you never had a valid US driver's license, if the one you do have is expired, suspended, or otherwise invalid; if you don't have valid insurance,
if you speed, etc....then yes, please stay off the roads!

I think a lot of people feel like I do, but people are afraid to speak out for fear of sounding like we are Hispanic-haters. I don't have a problem with anyone emigrating to the United States, I just want them to be here legally. They really need to be here legally to be a part of the American dream.

Deep down, I feel sorta grumbly about the fact that illegal immigrants' children can go to our government schools on our tax dollars. I feel that if someone is illegal, then they should get the benefits of being illegal = nothing. There needs to be some reason for people to want to be here legally. If they get all the benefits of legal US Citizens anyway, why should they want to be legal? However, I do think it's important that the children be educated, and it's not their fault their parents are here illegally.

We do need residents of our country to be educated and know English and I am completely for that. But I have heard disturbing things from parents who have children in some of the elementary schools in Snellville that have an increasing number of illegal Mexican immigrants (and I'm sure some legal). What I am hearing is that teachers are overwhelmed in the K-3 grades by the number of children who don't know English. I have been told that if your child knows English, the teacher will leave children to be on their own, since she needs to spend so much time with the children who need to catch up so much because of the language barrier.
This has led some Snellville residents to pull their children out of public school and homeschool their children.

Mexico is a beautiful country, full of beautiful people. I have always been interested in the culture and the language. My sister in law is from Mexico and she works for the INS in Dallas TX. Her family came here legally, so why can't others follow the laws? It's only fair.

I would like to see the U.S. work more on the root cause...what can we do to improve the Mexican economic situation so that people don't need or want to leave?

Why can't we build up manufacturing in Mexico so we can import more from Mexico instead of the problem products from China?

CLICK HERE to see Illegal Immigration Statistics in real time.